Responses to young children in post-emergency situations

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Guiding principles Addressing the rights and needs of tsunami-affected children The following two sets of guiding principles were drawn up in January 2005 by the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children uk, the United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) and World Vision International (wvi), following the tsunami of December 2004. Both sets of principles draw heavily on the Inter-agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children, which were established to ensure that the rights and needs of separated children are effectively addressed. See the “Further reading” section in this ecm for more information. Organisations working on behalf of children are strongly encouraged to endorse these principles. Psychosocial care and protection of tsunami-affected children Exposure to natural disasters has a devastating impact on the psychological and social well-being of children, adolescents and adults. It is now widely accepted that early psychosocial interventions that help to mitigate the effect of trauma, alleviate psychological distress and strengthen resiliency must be an integral part of humanitarian assistance. In the case of children and adolescents, psychosocial interventions also aim to maintain or re-establish their normal development process. The broad framework for planning and implementing psychosocial programmes is provided by a) the relevant Articles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and b) unhcr Guidelines on Protection and Care of Refugee Children. What do we mean by ‘psychosocial’? For the purpose of this statement, ‘psychosocial’ refers to the dynamic relationship that exists between psychological and social effects, each continually interacting with and influencing the other. ‘Psychological effects’ are those which affect different levels of functioning including cognitive (perceptions and memory as a basis for thoughts and learning), affective (emotions) and behavioural. ‘Social effects’ pertain to altered relationships, family and community networks and economic status. The following principles based on a body of evidence should guide psychosocial programming Nearly all children and adolescents who have experienced catastrophic situations will initially display symptoms of psychological distress, including intrusive flashbacks of the stress event, nightmares, withdrawal, inability to concentrate and others. • Most children and adolescents will regain normal functioning once basic survival needs are met, safety and security have returned and developmental opportunities are restored, within the social, family and community context. • Some children will require more specialised interventions to address their suffering and help restore their flow of development. Immediately after traumatic events, activities and opportunities which allow children to talk about or otherwise express painful experiences and feelings, such as physical and artistic expression, are most beneficial if facilitated by people the children know and trust, and have continued contact with. • However, ‘trauma counselling’ should never be the point of departure for psychosocial programming, because structured, normalising, empowering activities within a safe environment will help the majority of the children recover over time. • Trauma counselling should never be provided unless an appropriate and sustained follow-up mechanism is guaranteed. Defence mechanisms B e r n a r d v a n L e e r Fo u n d a t i o n 28 E a r l y C h i l d h o o d M a t t e r s • Ju l y 2 0 0 5
exist for a reason and breaking them down before the child is ready and in a safe physical and emotional environment leaves him/her open and vulnerable to a re-traumatisation. There are serious risks associated with trauma counselling carried out by non-professionals. • Dramatic consequences for a child’s life pathway can have more damaging consequences for the individual’s well-being than the traumatic event itself (an example would be a child’s loss of parents having to grow up as an orphan, or destruction of school system leaving children without education). • The psychosocial well-being of adults, particularly parents and caregivers has a direct impact on that of children, and should thus be addressed through concurrent parent-focused psychosocial interventions. • Children’s – and adults’ – participation in decisions which affect their lives has a positive effect on their mental health, empowers them and helps them to regain control over their own lives. • Grounding all psychosocial interventions in the culture, unless it is not in the best interests of the child, is both ethical and more likely to produce a sustained recovery. Psychosocial interventions based on the above principles • Reconnect children with family members, friends and neighbours • Foster social connections and interactions • Normalise daily life • Promote a sense of competence and restore a person’s control over one’s life • Allow for expressions of grief within a trusted environment, when the child is ready and followup is guaranteed • Listen to children and adults before acting. Ensure that interventions are based on consultation with the affected communities, reflect what they need and take into consideration the age and stage of development of the children involved. • Understand and respect the culture and religion of the affected population; give material and other support so that grieving and mourning practices and rites can take place. • Help children, family members, friends and neighbours find out what happened to those who are missing, and find each other, and let them know that efforts are underway. • Set up ‘child-friendly’ spaces as soon as possible and activities that normalise the lives of children, give them a sense of safety, structure and predictability through drawing, puppet-making and playing, drama and songs, story-telling, sports, non-formal education, etc. These activities also allow for the release of any stored distress. • Restore normal schooling as soon as possible. • Encourage children to ask as many questions as they want, and be ready to answer them truthfully. • Focus and build on interventions that strengthen the population’s resiliency and resources, and current and traditional ways of coping when they are in the best interests of the child. • Involve youth in organising activities for younger children: undertakings that give an affected person a sense of accomplishment has a healing effect. • Involve children, their families and communities in the psychosocial recovery process, discussing with them their perceptions, and how they see their needs. • Set up support group discussions, as much as possible accompanied by involvement in concrete and meaningful activities which give a sense of accomplishment and control over one’s life: recreational and non-formal education for children, common interest activities for young people, sewing, gardening, building, leading children’s activities, etc. • Promote and support interventions which preserve and reinforce the cohesion of the family, and discourage any which risks separating children from their families. • Promote activities and opportunities to allow children to express their experiences and feelings so that they may make meaning from and integrate them into their lives, as much as possible within a familiar environment and only if: - the child is ready for this expression – eliciting emotional material too early can cause more distress and potential harm to the child; - we can ensure further, on-going comfort and help. B e r n a r d v a n L e e r Fo u n d a t i o n 29 E a r l y C h i l d h o o d M a t t e r s • Ju l y 2 0 0 5
Page 2 and 3: Early Childhood Matters is a journa
Page 4 and 5: Guest Editorial Margaret McCallin*
Page 6 and 7: The general context within which pr
Page 8 and 9: understand the meaning of any event
Page 10 and 11: Protecting children in emergencies
Page 12 and 13: A view from the Christian Children
Page 14 and 15: Photo: CHANON BERNSTEIN / CCF CHAD
Page 16 and 17: Save the Children’s experience ec
Page 18 and 19: grandparents, others)? Are these pe
Page 20 and 21: An investigation of the history of
Page 22 and 23: Bernard van Leer Foundation’s res
Page 24 and 25: “You have to look at the needs”
Page 26 and 27: Photo: BICE/ NANBAN / RTUT to what
Page 30 and 31: • Identify referral services for
Page 32 and 33: and support to foster families. •
Page 34 and 35: have the capacity to trace the prev
Page 36 and 37: including: • with extended family
Page 38 and 39: or even in the same compound. Child
Page 40 and 41: Community-based care for separated
Page 42 and 43: Institutional characteristic Releva
Page 44 and 45: within a family setting is almost a
Page 46 and 47: for the children’s future and wor
Page 48 and 49: Photo: M. MUTHU (SIDT) Through dire
Page 50 and 51: Young children promoting health in
Page 52 and 53: The importance of play For younger
Page 54 and 55: stressful, this capacity might be s
Page 56 and 57: • Equalisation of opportunities:
Page 58 and 59: Primary and secondary causes of dis
Page 60 and 61: Child soldiers in the Democratic Re
Page 62 and 63: newly weaned infants are highly vul
Page 64 and 65: Further reading Websites The Child-
Page 66 and 67: Education in emergencies A tool kit
Page 68: Bernard van Leer Foundation Investi

Responses to young children in post-emergency situations

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?